Chapter Four – New Friends and Openings
Cho was smiling at Darren, her perfect teeth reflecting the bright lights in the dungeon. She was in her school robes, but her hair was flowing over her shoulders freely, making her face even more perfect. A brush was in her hand, and she was scrubbing a table in Snape's Potions classroom, and wanted Darren to help her. But he couldn't, he was trapped with Neville Longbottom on the other side of the classroom, for some reason scrubbing an extremely dirty seat cushion. She kept beckoning him to help her, but when he tried to go to her again, he was unable to move for more than a few feet. He was chained to Neville's ankle. He pulled with his leg, and even tried the Reducto curse, but nothing worked. He was desperate to get to her, to help her. Why would she be asking him for help if she did not really need it?
Snape was sitting at his desk, sneering and laughing at Neville and Darren. He kept looking down his nose at them, and laughing louder and louder each minute he watched them.
"You will never get what you want Clarkson, not as long as I am here," Snape told him. And them he laughed at him even more loudly. But this time Cho laughed at him too, and she threw the brush at him, hitting him in the chest with it. She then went and stood behind Snape, the two of them laughing hysterically at his struggle to get free, to shut them up,
"âand then she made me clean that ugly beast's pen with a pitchfork, without magic! Who in the world does she think she is?"
Darren jerked awake. The strange dream was fresh in his mind, but Draco's complaining had woken him. Why would Cho be in the dungeon with he and Neville during detention, and why would she laugh at him with Snape? He tried to shake his head clear, but he decided to just lay back for a few minutes and let it work itself out naturally. Unfortunately, Draco just kept ranting to anybody that would listen to him.
"The gall of that woman, to make me, of all people, clean out what is basically a stable. That is for the house elves, not a student. She is the first on the list of teachers that I will make sure my father gets fired when he gets back home, which will be soon, I guarantee."
Darren just rolled over and put his head on his arm and pulled his pillow over his free ear. Draco's endless whining had driven Darren mad for the last five years, and if he had to listen to it for much longer, he was sure he would just go mental at some point, and soon too. Darren did his best to try and ignore Draco, but the grating sound of his voice gave Darren a tremendous headache, so he forced himself out of bed and began to get ready for classes.
"Who does she think she is, my mother?" Draco whined. "I should have slapped that stupid pipe out of her mouth. She is probably just a half-blood, or worse, a mudblood. Why Dumbledore would hire a mudblood to teach any subject is beyond me, but after all he did hire a werewolf and a half-giant too. Maybe next year one of the Merpeople could teach us a class or two."
"You forgot the Centaur that teaches Divination Draco." It was Blaise, and Darren cut him a look that would have etched glass, but Blaise just smiled at Darren, letting him know that he was only baiting Draco.
"You are right Zabini, he did hire a Centaur last year. I had almost forgotten about that. Too bad Professor Umbridge isn't here anymore, we would not have to worry about these low class people that pass themselves off as witches and wizards teaching us. This is making me sick talking about it. Come on Crabbe and Goyle, let's go."
And with that statement Draco stomped out of the dormitory, his two henchmen following in his wake. Darren just looked at Blaise again, but Blaise had started laughing at Draco and his idiotic ramblings. Darren smiled, but the headache Draco had given him was too bad to laugh. He had almost finished dressing when Blaise told him to hurry up, or they would miss breakfast. Darren threw on his shoes and robe and rushed downstairs to the Great Hall. As usual he sat with Blaise, at the opposite end from where Draco and his group sat. Draco was re-telling his horrible experience of the night before to Pansy Parkinson who was ooohing and aaahing in all the right places. Darren just shook his head at Draco for what had to have been the ten thousandth time since his first year.
"Hey Darren, look who at the Ravenclaw table is looking over here," Blaise told him under his breath. "But don' t be too obvious."
Darren looked in what he thought was a nonchalant way, but as he did, he saw Cho blush and turn her head quickly away, acting like she was running her hands through her hair instead of looking anywhere.
"Darren, if you don't talk to her soon, you are an idiot, man."
"What are you talking about Blaise?" he asked.
"Well, if you can't see that Cho Chang is interested in you, then you are more blind than Crabbe is dumb."
"Interested in me? Why would she be interested in me?" He had hoped that Cho would notice him for three years, but now that is looked like she had finally done so, he had no idea of what to do.
"Darren, who cares? Just talk to her, pass a note in the hall, send her a letter with Janus. Do something. Just don't sit there like a lump waiting for it to happen all by itself, because it won't."
Darren knew he was right, and he resolved to talk to her before the first class of the day. He went back to his eggs and sausages and when he looked back up, Cho was gone. He looked quickly around, but did not see her. His heart fell a bit and he had lost his appetite. Across from him he could see Blaise grinning stupidly at him.
"What?" he asked testily.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, and with that he got up and left the Great Hall.
Darren was watching him go, when he felt somebody sit next to him at the table. He turned and saw Cho sitting beside him.
"Good morning Darren," she said.
Darren just raised an eyebrow in shock. Shock that she was sitting at the Slytherin table. Shock that she was sitting with him. Shock that she was talking to him. Shock that she was sitting at the Slytherin table next to him, and talking to him as well. It all ran together so fast that he started to feel a bit queasy. He could feel eyes on him. Other students were looking at him, trying to size up the boy Cho Chang, Head Girl and prettiest girl in school, was sitting next to. Darren had to struggle to find his voice, and it came back, eventually. There was an awkward few seconds before he answered her, but he did manage to murmur a feeble "Good morning Cho" to her.
"So Darren, how have you been so far this term? Human Transfiguration is going well I hope?"
"Yes, it is going well," he answered. He was not at all happy with Blaise, as he felt trapped at his own house's table.
"Oh, that is good then," she said, her face looking more than a little hurt at Darren's less than enthusiastic reply.
An awkward silence enveloped them and Cho made to leave.
"Well, see you around Darren," she said as she stood up. She waited for a second before turning and walking away. Finally, Darren got the hint and called after her.
"Cho! Hey Cho, wait up a minute!" he cried, and she stopped and turned back to him with a smile on her face. He got up and half walked half ran over to her, trying unsuccessfully not to be obvious with his emotions.
"Mind if I walk with you?" he asked.
"I don't mind," she told him. "As long as your fellow Slytherins don't, that is."
He looked back at the Slytherin table to see half of them open mouthed and staring at them, and the other half, the ones at Draco's end, making catcalls and faces at them. Draco was putting his finger in his mouth and acting as if he was going to vomit, and Pansy was acting as if she was about to be ill as well. Darren just rolled his eyes and turned away from them. He did not care one bit what they thought.
"Don't mind Draco and his idiot friends Cho, I never do," he advised her.
"Like I would ever care what those prats think anyway Darren. I am long past worrying what other people think of me."
Darren looked at her without changing the expression on his face, but he could not help but think that she was talking about him in some way. He gave a little laugh and steered the conversation in another direction.
"So, are you going in to Hogsmeade in three weeks?" he asked, and immediately regretted it. Of course she would be going. She had talked about it on the train on the way to school just three days ago.
She just smiled at him, and said, "Of course I will Darren, and maybe I will see you in the town somewhere, like at the Three Broomsticks, say at two o'clock that day? Who knows when we might bump into each other again?" And with that she just smiled at him and returned to her table, not looking at him at all. Darren sat back down, trying to figure out what had just happened.
'Has Cho Chang just asked me out?' he asked himself. 'Yes, she did,' he answered. He just smiled at the rest of his breakfast and when he got up to leave, he caught her eye and she blushed and turned her head away in obvious embarrassment. This made Darren blush in turn and to keep his head down as he left he Great Hall. He was glad that nobody was paying him any attention, for they would have seen Darren's face had turned a bright scarlet color.
Transfiguration was the first class of the day. Human Transfiguration, to be exact. Darren was eager to learn this skill, as he was certain it would help him in the future, if not the immediate future. He took his seat with Blaise, who grilled him about Cho Chang but Darren politely deflected the questions. His father had always told him a gentleman did not reveal any secrets, so he didn't tell Blaise anything of importance. Blaise kept asking questions of him, which started to make Darren begin to doubt what he had heard at breakfast. Had she actually asked him out, or was he hoping for the best and was about to make a fool of himself.
Darren had just resolved to talk to her again at dinner when Professor McGonagall called for the class' attention.
"Up here please, up here," she called out.
The class quieted down, and she asked them to turn their attention to the blackboard. With a wave of her wand, the board was covered with more complex diagrams and a drawing of a man in varying stages of transformation that ended in the shape of a horse.
Professor McGonagall started the class. "Today, we will be discussing the differences between an Animagus and someone that has transformed his or herself, or another person. An Animagus is a witch or wizard that can transform completely into an animal form."
She then changed into a tabby cat and back again to show them exactly what she had meant. Darren has seen this before, in third year, but it was still impressive.
"Why would a person study to become an Animagus, when it is easier to just transform? Anyone?" she asked.
Blaise raised his hand. "Yes Mr. Zabini," she said.
"An Animagus is more likely to be seen as the particular animal that he or she has changed into. A wizard that just transforms is very likely to give away some clue or clues that would give away the fact that he is not what he appears to be."
Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise. Blaise had never been one to volunteer information in class. "Very good Mr. Zabini, five points to Slytherin. Mr. Zabini is right. The Animagus more closely resembles the creature he or she transforms into. Also, an Animagus can only change into the particular animal that suits him. However, a skilled witch or wizard may learn to use many different forms to great effect. Many Aurors are particularly good at using Transfiguration to keep an eye on suspected Dark Wizards. When an Auror wishes to follow closely, it is imperative that he or she not be seen or recognized."
Darren was thinking of how great it would be to be an Auror and to catch Malfoy at something to send him to Azkaban when he heard Professor McGonagall call his name.
"Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Zabini, would you two please help me with a demonstration?"
Darren got up and headed to the front of the class, anxious but excited at the same time. Blaise did not seem to be too eager to help her with any sort of demonstration at all. He took his time coming up to the front, apparently hoping that she would get miffed at him and call someone else up. It did not happen, as she had decided to use them for her first example.
"Now, Mr. Clarkson, you will transform Mr. Zabini into a tree, perhaps an Oak sapling?"
Blaise jerked his eyebrows upwards, not being ashamed to show that he was more than a little scared at the thought of being transformed into a tree, whether it was his best friend or not. Darren could not blame him; he had a lot of reservations about doing this particular spell on his friend. He took out his wand and pointed it at Blaise, who looked for all the world as if he was about to run from the classroom.
"Now Darren," Professor McGonagall said, "you must be absolutely determined to turn him into a tree. Do not let anything enter your mind, not a fear or wish or anything. Nothing. You must concentrate wholly and completely on Blaise and what you want to do. Say the enchantment Humanoverto Oak Sapling while you are aiming your wand at him. Blaise, do not fear, I will not let anything happen to you, okay?"
Blaise answered with a less than enthusiastic "Yes, ma'am" and shut his eyes so as to not see it coming.
Darren took aim and cleared his head of all thoughts except what he had to do. "Humanoverto Oak Sapling!" he cried, and he felt his wand shake in his hand, a jet of bluish green light rushing forth and hitting Blaise in the chest like a hammer.
Blaise began to transform in front of him, and ended up as a dog on the floor. He gave a yelp and started to run around the room. The class erupted in laughter, at both Darren's mistake and Blaise's predicament. Professor McGonagall was attempting to get Blaise to calm down and stand still, but he was too scared to stop his running. He ran around the room, barking and howling like mad, which made Darren think that he was having a bit more fun than he was letting on. Blaise ran up to Malfoy and lifted his leg, but Professor McGonagall had got her aim on him by now.
"Subsisto Mutatio!" she cried, and a reddish orange flash hit Blaise. He regained his original form, but was still on all fours, his leg cocked at Draco, who was looking at him as if he had just seen a three headed Hippogriff.
"Mr. Zabini, please take your seat, now," Professor McGonagall said sternly. Blaise got to his feet with a small smile on his face and returned to his seat; all the while laughing at Darren as he walked back to his desk. He winked at Darren as he sat down, and Darren gave a sigh of relief that he had not hurt him after all.
Professor McGonagall started to explain what had just gone wrong. "Darren obviously had the thought of a dog in his mind just as he cast the spell"
"After seeing who his new girlfriend is, I can't blame him," came from Draco, but loud enough for the entire class to hear.
"Mr. Malfoy, please keep your comments about Mr. Clarkson's love life to yourself. I am sure it is an exhilarating conversation piece for you and your friends, but there is no place in this class for it," she told him, making his face go red in either anger or embarrassment. Either was fine for Darren as long as Draco just shut up for once.
"Now," Professor McGonagall continued, "when attempting to transform a human, either yourself or someone else, it is imperative to keep your concentration on the task at hand, as we have just seen with the example of Mr.'s Clarkson and Zabini. Would anyone else like to attempt the spell?"
None of the students answered. It was most clear to them all that human transfiguration was not an easy task, and that it was not to be attempted flippantly.
"No one? Well then, I will use student as an example then. Mr. Clarkson, would you please come to the front of the class?"
Darren got up slowly, not wanting to be used for the example, but also not wanting to look afraid of what could happen to him. He stood where Professor McGonagall told him to, in front of her desk, and closed his eyes as Blaise had done, and he could hear her talking to the class.
"I will transfigure Mr. Clarkson into an owl, and then he will be able to fly around the room for a bit, to show you all how it is possible to not only take the shape of an animal or object, but to also have the characteristics of them as well."
He heard her move in front of him, and then he heard her say "Humnaoverto Owl!" He felt it hit him in the chest, like a light punch. It really didn't hurt at all, but then he felt his body change. His arms started to feel as if they were drawing up to his shoulders, and his legs started to shorten. He opened his eyes, and saw feathers start to grow from his skin, and he could see that he was on the floor. Then, he felt it stop, and he opened his mouth, but a screech came out instead of words. He looked left and right, but only saw wings instead of arms, and he jumped into the air. When he left the floor, he thought for an instant that he was going to fall back down, but then he remembered to flap his wings, and he felt himself rise above the class. He could see them all watching him with open mouths, and he began to swoop around in circles, rising ever higher with each time he flapped his wings. Then he saw Malfoy, and decided to have some fun. He dove straight at Malfoy while screeching at the top of his lungs. Draco screamed and dove under his desk. Darren just pulled up and went at Crabbe, who ran to hide behind Professor McGonagall's desk, and when he turned his attention to Goyle, he heard Professor McGonagall yell at him to land on her desk. He made one more circle around the room and then landed as instructed. She pointed her wand at him, and transfigured him back to his normal form. He found himself sitting on her desk, and when Crabbe got out from under her desk, Darren just laughed at him. He saw Draco under his own desk, and Goyle still looking as if he was ready to flee the room as well. His reverie ended when Professor McGonagall began to chastise him for his actions.
"Mr. Clarkson, I have never, in all my years of teaching, seen such actions by a student that has been transfigured. It is not a game, nor is it a spell to be used for fun. You should be ashamed of yourself for scaring the wits out of your classmates!" she was saying, but he could swear that she had the slightest hint of a smile on her face.
"Yes, ma'am, sorry," was all he could think to say.
"Very good then, please take your seat," she told him, but just then the bell rang to end the class. He grabbed his bag and left quickly, but was not fast enough to get away from Draco and his fiends.
"Just who do you think you are Clarkson?" It was Draco, as expected. "Who do you think you are to attack me?" he demanded. "Do you have any idea who my father is, or what would happen to you if I tell him about this?"
"I guess it doesn't make any difference, does it Draco. How are you going to tell him, write to him in Azkaban? Do they let the prisoners have mail there?" he replied, hoping to dig at Draco.
Draco's face went paler than usual, and he made to step towards Darren, but Blaise stepped between them. Draco acted like he wanted to get around Blaise, but he made no real effort.
'Just like a bully,' thought Darren, 'never really willing to do anything to anyone's face.'
Darren turned away and walked down the corridor, Draco still threatening him from behind. He passed Harry, Ron and Hermione, who had been watching the confrontation.
"What happened Darren?" Hermione asked him. Darren stopped to tell them, and the three laughed at the story, Ron particularly seemed to enjoy the fact that Draco hid under his desk to escape an owl, but he nearly cracked up when Darren told him that Blaise had attempted to relieve himself on Draco's leg.
"See Harry, even the Slytherins don't like the little git, I told you," he said to Harry.
Harry just nodded, but Hermione told them they would be late for Potions and they walked together to the dungeon.
Potions went slowly, and Darren had to endure Draco making taunts and threats under his breath at him. He just ignored him as his usually had for the past five years, but it was becoming more and more irritating as tie went by. Snape was also extremely irritable today. He always was irritable, but today he was even more unpleasant than he had been the first day of class. He badgered poor Neville endlessly during class, making him tip his cauldron over and spilling the contents on the floor.
"Oh well Longbottom, another zero for you then," Snape told him, while making a fake sympathetic noise with his tongue. Snape pointed his wand at the mess on the floor and said "Evanesca!" and the sludge that was Neville's class work disappeared.
As class neared the end, Darren put a small sample of his restorative Draught in a flask and labeled it with his name. He tried place it on Professor Shape's desk, but Snape had grabbed his wrist. "Clarkson, if I hear of one more antic like you pulled in Transfiguration today, if you do anything out of bounds, I will see to it that you are expelled from Slytherin house, do you understand me?"
Darren just looked into Snape's black eyes, and said "Yes sir, I understand."
Professor Snape released his arm and he walked hurriedly out of the classroom, not wanting Snape to see the small grin on his face.
'Out of Slytherin? That is exactly what I want,' he thought to himself as he made his way to Divination, his thoughts on one thing. The chance to leave Slytherin House, finally.